Sunday, July 31, 2005

There is a new Angry Poll (below to the left). Vote NOW. (If you wish to be paid for your vote, you may contact Sa`d Al-Hariri in Beirut. It is perfectly legal in Lebanon. You will simply be registered as "electoral delegate.")

Dream of Return by Iraqi poet Baland Haydari (my translation):"I dream, o my city, of returnto our housewith extinguished candlesI dream that I returnand wake up the lampand open the window forthe windand leave the keys behindthe doorfor the thievesand for guestsfor promises*I dream, o my city, of returningI dream of returnto all what there is in yourwounded heart of tearsto your night discardedin the alleya black newspaper like shamecarried by wanderersand the pimp and thetavern keeperfrom tavern to tavern...to a laugh at a barand hunger may wrapin its darkness its shoeswith torn road*I dream, o city, of returningI search for my eyes betweenthe pages of the bookthat I had left...overthere...at the doorand on its paperreproach has gotten green"I wish he returns"I want that he returnsbefore in the promisesits question about a missingperson dries upin wind and fog*I dream, o city, of returnto all what is in your woundedheart of tears"

"Astronomers point out 10th planet using Palomar Observatory photos." As soon as the news was announced, a Jordanian "scientist" appeared on Al-Arabiyya TV to declare the news a confirmation of the Qur'an. (He was obviously referring to a verse of Surat Yusuf (12:4) which says: "إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبتِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُأَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِي سَاجِدِينَ(Behold! Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven kawkaban [planets, but is sometimes translated as "stars"] and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate themselves to me!"). OK.

Al-Balad newspaper is reporting today that the bomb that killed George Hawi and Samir Qasir was very similar to the ones that killed Jihad Jibril and two military cadres of Hizbullah two years ago--in three sepearte car bombings that did not receive the attention of Mr. Annan.

The pro-Saudi, pro-US elaph site, reported that some 32 Muslim Americans in Detroit alone, by one count, changed their names in the last few years due to difficulties and harassments. Jihad became `Imad (Jihad is a common male name with no religious connotation on the mind of the parents. Even Christian Arabs use that name) for example.

Walid Jumblat gave one interview after Hariri's assassination in which he validated (in his ever changing mind) the "Bush doctrine." Neoconservatives, like this guy, still cite it. But they will never tell you that Jumblat later denounced that interview and that view, and that last week he even seemed to defend the terrorist attacks in Sharm Al-Shaykh.

The House of Saud's Al-Arabiyya TV prides itself on being "objective." It is, but only in the same way that Fox News TV is "fair and balanced." (Of course, there are some great reporters at Al-Arabiyya, like Hadil Wahdan and Muna Shiqaqi, among others).

Mr. Obscene is now a Syrian diplomat. I was watching this program on Al-Jazeera today while working out, and there I saw "Dr. Yahya Al-`Aridi, the Director of the Syrian Press Office in London." I knew the guy. When I was a graduate student in the 1980s, a colleague and a friend, the wise `Abdul-Khaliq `Abdullah (who is now a professor at the University of the Emirates) wanted to revive the Arab Student Organization at Georgetown University. So he convened a few meetings. I, who avoid organizations and meetings, attended just because I believe in `Abdul-Khaliq's leadership and commitment. And then a Syrian politician was visiting Washington, DC, so the organization invited him to address the group, and this member of the group, this Yahya Al-`Aridi guy--introduced the guest by heaping praise on the Syrian regime, and saying things that only an oppressive government functionary would say about an oppressive government. I was quite displeased, as you may expect. I waited for the next meeting, to say this: "we, here, don't agree on politics. We don't know one another. Many of you are sent by Arab governments, and some may in fact be reporting to them about what other students do or say. For that reason, whatever is said on behalf of the group, should be agreed on by the entire group." And I addressed the guy, Al-`Aridi by telling him that his praise for the regime does not represent me, or the group, and that he should refrain from ever doing that again. The guy, went crazy on me, literally. He simply went on a rampage of obscenities and vulgarities, addressed to me and every member of my family, the likes of which my Lebanonese ears have not heard in one stretch. At that point, I said that I cannot talk to somebody like that, at that level, and left the room, never to attend any of those meetings again (remember that, Rima, Rania, and Rula?). So this guy is now in charge of the Syrian press office in London. Let's hope that he does not engage in obscene talk on live TV. Or maybe not.

When you shop for groceries, if you are asked "paper or plastic"? Don't provide a hasty answer. Just wait for a fatwa in that regard from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Ibrahim Hooper. Just tell them that Hooper will soon answer that question, once and for all. CAIR and Hooper will produce a fatwa next week to the effect that George W. Bush is the best looking and most intelligent person on earth. That's right. And if you are not sure what fruits you should bring home, wait for the fatwa. Diane Feinstein wanted fatwas, but she will now have more fatwas than she can handle.PS: Ibrahim Hooper's fatwas are followed by some one billion Muslims worldwide (and even some Christian, Jews, and Buddhists).

Steps in Exile by Iraqi poet Baland Haydari (my translation):"This isme--discarded--there aretwo suitcasesand steps feeling a sidewalkthat does not belong to a placefrom one thousand harbors I cameand to one thousand harborsI am destinedand one thousand waitingis in my sightNo...I have not finishedNO...I have not finishedyour grapevines, oh road, are stillpregnant and thewine jugs are still thirstyand I fearI fear that the sad and silentnights wake upAnd lifeas life says to us:A hand that salutes on asidewalk that does not belongto a place*No...I have not finishedBehind all the nights ofthis earthI have a love and a houseand a love and a houseremain for medespite her nervous and sharpsilenceand despite what the wound containsof hate and rancora house and a love shall remain for meand time may go back for me*If it goes back for meif the clarity of the blue skyembraces my eyelashesWill a heart in that housebeat for me, I wonderWill the son of that pastremember a love, I wonderWill two yes smileor will they mock and ask--Have you not finishedWhat do you want and whyhave you comeI see in your glances a taleof one thousand deadand will yell:Don't approach himin his hands there is...tomorrowThe morning will commitsuicideand there will be no roadand no glowNo...Expel him. His stepstoward us have no cloudsto bring green to hopeand they will pass*This is...me-discarded--there...two suitcasesand lifeas life says to us:a hand that salutes on a sidewalkthat does not belong to a place"

"Israeli occupation forces killed a teenager and wounded eight others in Jenin, while another child was wounded in a shelling in Rafah, as the Israeli rampage continued throughout the occupied Palestinian territories."

"On the city's streets, the daily reality involves death, random violence and routine deprivations for people who are beyond anger. But a different view has been presented in the Green Zone, the concrete-barricaded headquarters for U.S. troops, diplomats and contractors, and the interim Iraqi government. There, the situation is described as progressing toward a gradual handover from U.S. forces to Iraqi control."

"Iraq's transportation minister, a Shiite Muslim, has ordered a ban on alcohol sales at Baghdad International Airport, declaring that the facility is "a holy and revered" piece of Iraq, a spokesman said Friday."

"Uzbekistan formally evicted the United States yesterday from a military base that has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday. In a highly unusual move, the notice of eviction from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, was delivered by a courier from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, said a senior U.S. administration official involved in Central Asia policy."

"For hire: more than 1,000 U.S.-trained former soldiers and police officers from Colombia. Combat-hardened, experienced in fighting insurgents and ready for duty in Iraq. This eye-popping advertisement recently appeared on an Iraq jobs website, posted by an American entrepreneur who hopes to supply security forces for U.S. contractors in Iraq and elsewhere."

Friday, July 29, 2005

The poem to My City by Iraqi poet Baland Haydari (my translation):"It is said:that our house is gloomyit is said:that our pathits green has been madedesolate by guiltit is said:that people in my citythe flame in their eyeshas dried upIt is saidthe worst of what is saidOur house is gloomyShadows croak in its desolationour path is strangechildren have abandonedits brownnessit is said:the worse of what is saidthat there are no men in my city*I know, my little cityoh, the sweat of men at noonoh, the piece of bread on the matoh, little girl, a braid is woven inits dreamsfor a story of the prince to the princessI know my cityhow many wounds...bitterbleeding under the brokenwingsbutI know my citywhat is behind our gloomy houseand what is behind its awful silencewhat a future glittering in the roadsand that Iknow oh, my citythat the eyes of men in my citydon't sleepand that within their silencea boiler is heating uptomorrowif it explodesfuture will bow down before it"

According to Zionism: Nada Siyam (4) is a Palestinian terrorist child who posed a threat to the Israeli state. Thus, she was shot by Israeli occupation forces in the Rafah refugee camp, and is in critical condition in the hospital of Rafah.

What kind of a Middle East will the Bush Doctrine bring? "Iraq's constitution will enshrine "a significant role for religion in the state," the Shiite Muslim Arab who is leading the drafting of the charter said Wednesday."

Prince Sultan, the Saudi Minister of Defense, was visiting a Saudi air base yesterday. He said: "...and we have begun developing our air forces, and our old planes that performed its duties completely, will be soon replaced by new planes from different countries." Take notice.

After deep thoughts, and careful deliberations between himself and...himself, Husni Mubarak has settled on his favorite choice for president of Egypt. Himself. He asserted that there was no nepotism in the choice, and that the selection was based purely on merit and qualifications. He did admit that he considered his son, but feared that the choice may have smacked of nepotism. This choice, he added, will be seen for what it is: a choice of the best person to lead Egypt. He also added that he will be inviting Arab leaders for a summit meeting next week. He said that he may invite Abu Mus`ab Az-Zarqawi to join the gathering of bloody Arab tyrants.

Fatwas for Sale. Fatwas to Buy. Fatwas to Go. Diane Feinstein wanted Muslim fatwas. You want fatwas? You want fatwas? CAIR and Ibrahim Hooper will give you fatwas, although Hooper is not known to have an appeal among the Muslims of the world, I am afraid. But it must be nice; Muslim American organizations took time of their busy schedule of propagandizing for Gulf ruling dynasties (and advocating for House of Saud's version of Islam), and of their daily ritual of condemnations of any and every act of violence by any Muslim anywhere in the world thereby only reinforcing the clouds of suspicions over every Muslim in the US, to produce a fatwa. Fatwas, fatwas, and more fatwas. And while you are at it, I want fatwas too. I want a fatwa to compel fast food restaurants to cater to vegetarians; and I want a fatwa to improve the taste of soy milk. OK? Is that too much to ask. What I find comical about the discourse about fatwas in the US (especially by members of congress including the well-known scholar of Islam, professor Diane Feinstein, the author of a definitive history of Islamic theology) is that little known about fatwas. People talk about fatwas as if they are binding on Muslims, and as if they will change the behavior of anybody, including those who issue them. Fatwas, in Islam, are only binding on those who agree with them. Do you understand the process now? It is entirely voluntary. OK. You can go now. Go and issue your own Fatwas, NOW.

Exchanging kisses: Hizbullah and Lebanese Forces. I noticed that in the Lebanese parliament yesterday Hizbullah member `Ali `Ammar exchanged kisses with Lebanese Forces member George `Udwan. This is Lebanese politics: no group adheres to principles.

I took a cab in Beirut to go to a downtown cafe. The cab driver started talking to me about something I had said on TV, and he then started to express his political opinions and his agreement with my revulsion at developments in Lebanon. He then revealed to me his political past: he was, it turned out, a member of the now defunct ultra-secretive organization named The Arab Communist Organization, and did not think that I would know of it. This organization was founded by `Ali Al-Ghadban (nicknamed Che) who hailed from the village of Qana near Tyre and split from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Al-Ghadban first joined the splinter organization Revolutionary Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (headed by Abu Shihab). Al-Ghadban then split off from the Revolutionary Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to form the New Resistance in 1973. Al-Ghadban then split off from the New Resistance and formed the Arab Communists, which later transformed into Arab Communist Organization (adhering to Trotskiest communism). They were very much like the Red Brigades in Italy in style and organization. In 1974, the organization started its activities in Lebanon and Syria. They staged a number of armed robberies that remained unresolved. In one failed attack on the Bank of America in Beirut in the same year, an upper class member of the group (Yumna Shahruri who attended the same French school as my sister) was apprehended. With some torture, she revealed enough information to lead the authorities to the rest of the group. Al-Ghadban, who maintained a day job as a civil servant, was then arrested. He was surrendered to the Syrian government, which quickly executed him. The rest served prison sentences, but the chaos of the civil war brought about their release. The cab driver was one of those who served time in jail. He described to me unspeakable torture that he was subjected to while in jail. It displeased him that most people do not know of this little known organization.

From the poem You Came at Dawn by Iraqi poet Baland Haydari (my translation):"You came at dawn...and there was herea massacre growing withno pretextand behind the gates of prisonthere was hopeliving in weaknessand there was for betrayala thousand hands stealing frommy mindand from my free bloodthe longing of dark nightsfor dawn*You came at dawnand we were herebeing killed silentlyand not knowing itDo humans get crucifieddo fires devour our housesour little onesjust because we dreamof the dawn...?But you cameand we were herewondering where hopewill come fromfrom where...It will not comeThe sun will not riseand in my housethe feet of my childrensink in death without soundfrom where?..It will not comeOur prison is blind withno windowand our path is sinkingin the holeand we are with no strength or powerbut you came andwe were herea story about our bitter pastand a convoy of glowin our free dawn"

I was reading the draft of the Iraqi constitution which is co-written, as I read this morning in the New York Times, by the US ambassador in Iraq. What a lousy document. It refers everything to the authority of religious laws, and it stipulates on the appointment of clerics in the Federal Constitutional Court which determines the constitutionality of all laws promulgated in the country. On the gender question, it says: "the state guarantees the basic rights for women and their equality with men in all spheres according to the terms of Islamic laws, and helps them to reconcile their duties toward the family and their work in society." And Iraq is supposed to be "liberated"?

When you think about the rejuvenation of the Lebanese fascist militia, the Lebanese Forces (which combines the cross, the Cedar and a Hummus plate in its emblem and which promotes the slogan, God=Quwwat (in reference to itself, the Lebanese Forces) it is important to remind oneself that voters from different sects should be blamed. In fact, if you take the electoral "victory" of Lebanese Forces crackpot George `Udwan, you realize this: he received 59% of Sunni votes--paid for by Sa`d Hariri, 82 % of Druze votes, and 40% of Christian votes.

This is Zionism: This boy, Yusuf Husays, was shot in his head by Israeli occupation forces only minutes after this picture was taken, when he was trying to resist an Israeli occupation invasion of Jenin.

Comic by Terry Furry, reproduced from "Heard the One About the Funny Leftist?" by Cris Thompson, East Bay Express

As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.

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